Patients Lives In Some Way example essay topic

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest This film unlike most others on the same topic had no real event to focus on. There was not just one climax or specific scene that the others built up to or supported. I cannot say that I enjoyed it but I do feel it has to a great extent affected me. The only reason I feel that this film is one worth watching is because of the latent message it holds. It very successfully exposes authority and bureaucracy in society.

The characters in this film portray people that are either convinced or have been convinced that are crazy. Mac, a man with no real purpose in life but to sail through it somehow, is sent to a mental institution for doctors to determine whether he is crazy. There he makes an enemy of the head nurse in the ward, whose methods of taking care of the patients are harsh and rigid. What intrigues me most about the Ms. Ratched's (the nurse), character in this film is the fact that even though so much out of the ordinary happens, she returns to her normal self in a matter of seconds. It seems that years of routine and monotony have taken over her and she simply cannot have things any other way.

Anything out of the ordinary is repugnant to her, thus her firm resolve to not allow the patient's to view a ball game during the World Series. Which is why when she encounters Mac, she feels she needs to suppress his "outrageous" acts in any way possible. She goes to the extent of sending him for treatment by electrocution. She is perfectly aware that Mac is not crazy and such a measure goes to show how cold, impersonal and rigid she is.

Mac on the other hand decides to fight for everything he feels is wrong, not in the least caring whether his ways are extreme or simply unacceptable. He finds out later that he is admitted in the institution for as long as his treatment may take. He knows that if Ms. Ratched has her way, he will never leave. He decides to escape with his friend 'Chief'. Chief, the narrator of the film, is a patient that pretends to be deaf and dumb. He stays at the hospital simply because he feels he cannot cope with life in the outside world.

Mac manages to convince him that he can and they hatch a plan to escape. The relationship between these two roles is one that I find heartwarming. The fact that Mac doesn't give up on Chief and perseveres in getting some sort of reaction from him is amazing. Although one considers Mac to be a useless individual in society, one has to admire him for caring and feeling the need to touch the patients' lives in some way. He befriends everyone, even the surly and patronizing Harding, who feels he needs to be the victim of every situation. Mac's rebellion against the bureaucratic and authoritarian Nurse Ratched, in the end takes his life.

Out of all the characters the one I loved most was that of Martini, a small man with a huge smile. He is perpetually smiling and always happy and does not let anything bother him. Even though he has no role as such in the film, without him, it would have been dry and lifeless. He brings out the funny parts of the movie and makes sure that the morbid theme does not overwhelm the audience. One of the scenes in this film, which has a huge and very profound impact on the viewer is the death of Billy. The sweet, stuttering, shy boy, who wants to be considered a man, is constantly haunted by his mothers and the nurse's controlling nature.

The viewer finally realizes how unfit the nurse is, when she threatens Billy and drives him to commit suicide. Billy's death signifies how some people are simply ridden over and weakened by others. They are ruled by the will of others all their lives. Billy was not crazy he was simply a victim of his mother's tyranny.

Another scene that very aptly brings the film to an end is the death of Mac. The whole purpose of the film and its message is then made clear. Mac is a rebel and initially is viewed as a nuisance. Later on we see him in the light of a hero and to some extent a savior.

He is out to heal and as unconventional as his method may be, he succeeds. However, he pays with his life for this success. The Chief smothers him after Mac is severely electrocuted to the point of paralysis. We see the Chiefs heart break to lose such a good friend and a man that knew how to cure the "crazy". He cannot bear to let Mac live a life of a vegetable and so kills him. The sheer power and authority of the asylum is brought home to the audience.

It also is reflected in many other situations. The will of one nurse put and end to the lives of two healthy and sane men. At this point in the film, one loses faith in the whole system. The film is an excellent one. It disillusions us of the misconceptions we have of insane people. It also brings to light the fact that handling mentally ill people is a task that not many are equipped to undertake.

Ms. Ratched is a prime example of someone who does not understand the mental state of most her patients, let alone knowing how to help them. What I found slightly disturbing after watching the film was the realization that there is no clear cut way of knowing who is and isn't insane. What is insanity? I could easily identify with most of the inmates of the asylum, are we all to some extent crazy? The isolated view of the asylum seemed to reflect everyday life a little too similarly. The film's rather slow pace and the use of the same set in most of the scenes makes one lose interest at times.

However, the amazing acting done by the characters and the occasional happy scenes, more than make up for it. As tragic a tone as it has, it still succeeds in leaving one with the feeling that it was a film that had to be watched simply for the sake of forcing one to ponder. It makes one question institutions in society and what roles they actually play. Although upsetting, this film is a must-see.